Social network analysis is based on an assumption of the importance of relationships among interacting units
– Wasserman & Faust, p. 4
This is a network
Networks are comprised of nodes
AKA actors or vertices
e.g., people, countries, organizations, policies, words
Networks are comprised of nodes and edges
AKA relationships, ties, arcs, or links
e.g., “talked with”, “traded with”, “shared members with”, “shared features of”, “used in proximity to”
Edges may be undirected
Edges may be undirected or directed
Edges may be unvalued
Edges may be unvalued or valued
Networks may have one mode
Networks may have one mode or two modes
Two mode networks sometimes called bipartite
Two mode networks are often affiliation networks
Positional
Dyadic
Subgroups
System level